Disease: HIV exposure

Photo Quiz: Unexpected yeast in a premature infant—pathogen or passenger

A newborn baby born very prematurely developed a yeast organism called Malassezia pachydermatis in a sputum sample, which was identified in the hospital laboratory. Researchers investigated whether this yeast was causing a serious infection or was just a harmless colonizer. Follow-up testing showed no infection, and the baby improved without antifungal treatment, suggesting it was contamination rather than true disease. However, this finding is important because this yeast has been known to cause serious infections in premature babies in hospital settings.

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